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On Sunday May 6, 2012 during a game against the Washington Nationals, 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels changed the ethical face of professional baseball. While facing Nationals top prospect and 2010 first overall draft choice Bryce Harper, Hamels welcomed the rookie by intentionally hitting him between the shoulder blades with a fastball. Harper wasn’t injured on the play, but Hamels would receive a five game suspension from the MLB sports betting commissioners office, for admitting he did it on purpose. The intent to welcome Harper to the big leagues, has fans, media and players all wondering if the suspension was long enough, short enough or deserved at all.

In theory, the five game suspension to Cole Hamels for admitting post game he did threw at Harper on purpose, is a slap on the wrist. One of the biggest misconceptions in baseball is that a pitcher who is suspended actually has to serve the length of his suspension. The reality is, the team is penalized for five games, but the pitcher is technically only punished for one game, since today’s starting pitchers only pitch once every five days. For this reason, many people are wondering if the MLB had a right to even penalize Hamels for his honesty in explaining his actions to the media.

Historically, throwing at rookies because they are rookies is nothing new. For example, a pitch hit the legendary Frank Robinson 20 times in his rookie season. However, when he still managed to hit 39 home runs, knock in 83 runs and boast an OPS of 936, the pitchers took the hint that hitting Robinson was worse for them then it was for him. While we aren’t saying that Bryce Harper will duplicate Robinson’s numbers, what we are saying is that Harper won’t be fazed by a pitcher ‘intentionally’ throwing at him. In fact, for those who missed the game, Harper got revenge on Hamels quite quickly after being thrown at in the first inning. Essentially, as the inning carried on, Harper found himself on third base, where he decided to steal home plate, and was safe on the play.

The Phillies would ultimately win the game, by a score of nine to three, despite all the talk after the game being about the betting online actions of Hamels towards Harper. As we noted earlier, many are in disbelief that the MLB would punish Hamels for his honesty, as he basically stated what we all knew anyways. On the other hand, the fact Hamels was suspended but won’t have to serve that long of a suspension has critics infuriated. They are mad because the MLB they feel was too lenient on Hamels when he intended to throw at Harper. With this in mind, the punishment should have been 15 games, or five starts for Hamels.

Another issue that has fans and especially the media angered at the MLB is the timing of the Hamels suspension. Even though he threw at Harper, the umpires did not eject Hamels from the game. In fact, had Hamels not said anything to the media, would he really have been suspended for the pitch? Meaning to say, the MLB appears to have only given Hamels a suspension, because he told the truth instead of saying ‘next question’.

With a month of baseball under our belts, we are now treading the line between making too harsh of assumptions based on what we already know, and too big of denials based on what we expect in the American League. While the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox are both within reach of first place in their respective divisions, there are many baseball blogs still being published about how they won’t make the playoffs, including those that suggest the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Boston Red Sox still have a good shot at the postseason despite being buried in their respective division through 24 games.

In the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays are back on top with 11 wins in 12 games at Tropicana Field, once again capitalizing on a unique blend of pitching consistency and the ability to bring in runs once they get on base. The betting sites fact that they took five of six games against the Angels and Texas Rangers is impressive, but they still have to take care of business in their own division. The top four teams in the AL East rank in the top-five in the entire league based on record, which would start with the Rays and Rangers at 17-8, and follow with the Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees. Baltimore’s pitching has been much better early on but there are real Betonline question marks about how long that will last, but there is intrigue in Toronto in the fact that they are doing so well in spite of reigning two-time home run king Jose Bautista’s struggles at the dish. Bautista is batting .180 with four home runs, and if he could get going this month it could be the Blues Jays making a run at the division lead. The Yankees have dealt with pitching woes by scoring a ton of runs, but in the end they may need to acquire some help on the mound to have a pay head contending shot.

Outside of the AL East, it seems at this point like it is the Rangers and everybody else. Texas is undoubtedly the best online sportsbook favorite to advance to the World Series out of the AL once again, with the best offense in the majors complimented by a pitching staff that ranks sixth in overall ERA. The Rangers are without peer in the AL West, even though the Angels do appear to have enough talent to make a run. Los Angeles has won three-straight but still remains seven back, a gap that will be difficult to close even this early on. The Detroit Tigers are expected to close out the season on top of the AL Central, but will have some internal issues to settle along the way. The Tigers have been far too inconsistent of late, winning just three of its past 10 games and appearing disinterested at times. Right now Detroit is grouped with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians at the top of the AL Central, but it shouldn’t be long before they find some separation.

The first month of the MLB season has come and gone, and already, fans, media, and Bodog handicappers alike are wondering which players may qualify for the annual All Star Game. For all intents and purposes, the All Star Game in baseball means a lot more to the two leagues, then any of the other major sports leagues. After all, the winner of the All Star Game receives home field advantage in the World Series. With one month in the books, today we will look at a few players, who would definitely deserve the nomination, if the All Star Game were tomorrow.

As we turn the page on the first month of the season, there are several players that could easily fill our infield. Paul Konerko gets the nod of Adam Dunn as the Chicago White Sox representative in the All Star Game, as the 36-year-old veteran has had a dream month of April. Konerko has a 383 batting average, 444 on base percentage and 679 slugging percentage, to go along with five home runs and 15 RBI to start the season. As of this writing, Konerko is an obvious choice at first base, as he is leading all everyday first basemen in all offensive categories.

On the other hand, making a decision on the designated hitter is a difficult one, as you could easily slot in a first baseman in the position, or stick with players that primarily hit the ball. From main stream baseball media in the United States, you would think the decision on designated hitter is a two horse race, between Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, and the aforementioned Adam Dunn. However, we believe that the odds of being named All Star Game designated hitter belong to Toronto Blue Jays power hitter Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion has a 322 batting average, 376 on base percentage and a 678 slugging percentage along with eight home runs and 21 RBI. Given the struggles of the Blue Jays lineup of late, Encarnacion may be the lone representative this season.

Moving onto the outfield and two players that are locked in after quick starts, are Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two anchors of the MLB’s hottest teams have literally come as advertised this season. Batting clean up in both lineups, Hamilton and Kemp are first and second in all offensive categories. Hamilton has a 395 batting average, 438 on base percentage and 744 slugging percentage, with nine home runs and 25 RBI. On the contrary, Matt Kemp has been an absolute beast, essentially locking up the NL MVP award in the month of April. Kemp is the only player to out play Hamilton, as he is hitting 425 batting average, 495 on base percentage, and an 888 slugging percentage, with 11 home runs and 24 RBI. If Kemp can keep up the 888 slugging percentage, he will be better then Babe Ruth, who posted a career 820 slugging percentage.

To close out the All Star nominations, fans and media and handicappers are all looking at which pitchers deserve the start. Despite coming off of Tommy John surgery a season ago, pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg has seemingly regained form at least to start the year. Strasburg was the king of April, winning two of his five starts, while posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and nearly 10k’s per nine innings. In other words,

The Miami Marlins were the talk of the baseball world this past winter, with a new stadium, new team name, new jerseys, and a ton of new faces taking their talents to SouthBeachin the MLB version of Extreme Makeover. However, even with all of the change that encompassed the team in the offseason, the Marlins were overlooked as a legitimate contender by the majority of MLB blogs, in a division that also features the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and New York Mets. Things haven’t exactly carried out according to the script through the first couple of weeks of the season though, with the Nationals winnings 10 of their first 13 games to climb to the top of the division, while the defending NL East champion Phillies are stuck at the bottom. Lost in the craziness early on is the performance of the Marlins, which has been enough to make some fans in theMiami area believe they have a legitimate shot at the division.

Of course, with Marlins’ manager Ozzie Guillen stealing the spotlight with the ridiculous comments that earned him a suspension from the team, and the new stadium with its almost as ridiculous Marlins’ home run attraction in the outfield adding to the distractions from the actual product on the field, there is no doubt that this actual Miami team has been under the radar. The Marlins overall record hasn’t been very impressive either as they have hovered around the .500 mark to open the year, but if you look at the finer details, there are several reasons to believe this team could become a legitimate sports betting contender.

The Marlins rank in the top-third of the league with a combined .256 batting average, and most of the players are still getting settled in to their new digs. The combination of 2011 NL batting champion Jose Reyes at the top of the order with Hanley Ramirez batting in the three-spot has already looked like one of the best in baseball, including Ramirez hammering home runs in three straight games earlier in the week. Emilio Bonifacio and Omar Infante are both batting over .330 to open the year, and with some quality depth in Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison, the Marlins have a ton ofbetting options.

With the offense accounted for, the focus can change to the starting rotation, where Mark Buehrle got his first win on Wednesday throwing five strikeouts through eight-strong with just one earned run allowed. Buehrle should be fine in terms of givingMiamia shot to win every game and sometimes stealing one, but the Marlins are going to need more from both Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez. Johnson has struggled early on this season and needs to be better forMiamito have a shot, and if the team can get something from Sanchez in Carlos Zambrano, they very well could surprise.

A quick look over the Betonline preseason favorites to win the NL East shows that the Marlins weren’t considered among the top choices, and the lack of respect that they have gotten could lead to some good value out there throughout the year. Whether or not the talent in Guillen’s clubhouse has what it takes to win games is an entirely different story altogether, but don’t sleep on them as a team capable of winning some big games this season. The Nationals will be in tough to keep up their current pace, and neither the Braves or Phillies have been overwhelming early on, so while Miami may not be the flashiest choice as a betting option, they could surprise by contending for the division.

The 2012 MLB season is a week old, and already Bodog handicappers are looking for a trend or two, to help them turn a profit. Throughout the first six weeks of the regular season, bad and average teams start off hot, while good teams struggle. For all intents and purposes the real ‘start’ of the baseball season doesn’t begin until the end of May and early June, when the teams that should be contending finally hit their stride. Today we will look at how some week one trends could carry over to wagering success throughout the season.

Despite a five and four record through their first nine games of the season, the Blue Jays are a team you should back after an off day. According to the statistics, the lone Canadian franchise in the MLB, is a bookie software best, 21 and nine in the first game back after an off day. As they enter tonight’s opening game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Blue Jays are coming off their first off day in six days. Another interesting trend, is to back the red hot Texas Rangers, especially when they are on the road. Carrying over from last season, the Rangers are an impressive 14 and six in their past 20 road games. Tonight, the Rangers travel to Boston, to face the disgruntled Red Sox.

Two teams that have jumped out to hot starts, are the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After struggling in recent years, the two clubs were able to increase the odds of an eventual playoff berth, a season ago, when they experienced much success. Through the first week of the season, the Indians are averaging a league best six and a half runs per game, while hitting at least one homer in eight of their nine games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are off to their best start in five years, going nine and one in their first 10 games of the season. The Dodgers are already an impressive six and one against their division, and are undefeated in six home contests. With series against a struggling Milwaukee team and a terrible Houston squad this week, the Dodgers could be 15 and one after the first 16 games of the season.

While the Astros continue to hang on for dear life in the NL Central, before a move to the ever daunting AL West next season, the youth of the team has become evident through the first week of the season. Houston is an impressive eight and one going over the total in its first nine games. The Astros are in an interesting sportsbook review situation, as they are more or less hitting over the total because of how bad they are. In other words, housing the worst bullpen in the league, the total amount of runs accumulated in their games, have put Houston over the line, since the bullpen can’t get a stop when necessary.

In a complete reversal, lay the Pittsburgh Pirates, as they are one and eight on the total, as the majority of their games have gone under. At first glance, MLB bettors are quick to assume that the line is under because the Pirates can’t produce runs. Yet, the reality is, that the lack of run support and half decent pitching has allowed for games to go under the total. Part of the reason the Pittsburgh Pirates rose to the top of the NL Central by the All Star break a season ago, was because their rotation and bullpen kept them in the majority of games. For instance, Joel Hanrahan closed out 40 games, with 29 saves being consecutive.

If last year’s finish to the regular season is any indication, we could be in for a wild ride once again in 2012. The MLB decided to add an extra Wild Card spot for both leagues, and the intention was to create more endings like the one baseball fans witnessed on the final day of the regular season a year ago, when the Boston Red Sox epic collapse was paired with the Tampa Bay Rays’ improbable comeback in a reversal of Wild Card fortunes. With such a long and drawn-out season it will be hard for baseball to ever duplicate the way that night played out ever again, but that doesn’t mean we won’t still get the chance to witness some memorable moments of their own this coming summer.

While the seasons have changed, some of the storylines remain the same, as is the case with the Tampa Bay Rays. Once again considered the sports betting underdog that has enough talent to make a surprise playoff run, nobody will be countingTampaBay out. However, despite one of the more talented rotations in baseball with David Price and James Shields leading the way, the Rays don’t have a ton of offense, and will struggle with consistency over stretches. How well they manage to remain in contention for anAL playoff spot will depend a lot on how their starting rotation fares.

As for the Red Sox, a season that ended in turmoil didn’t result in the expected fire sale changes that many pay head bookies expected would come. Aside from casting aside their general manager and clubhouse manager, thisBoston team will be largely comprised of the same pieces that contended for a playoff spot a year ago, but with a renewed sense of urgency throughout. While the focus will remain on the Red Sox epic late season collapse, fans are quick to forget about how slow this team started out of the gate as World Series favorites, and that some better numbers early on would have allowed that team to avoid their collapse altogether.Boston isn’t that far from being a legitimate World Series contender, and if they start fast this season then look out.

The American League wasn’t the only side that experienced that late season drama in 2011, as the National League was where Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals made their run to beat out the Atlanta Braves for the NL Wild Card on route to a championship parade. Pujols is gone to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but the Cardinals will welcome back breakout stars David Freese and Jon Jay, as well as starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who missed all of last season due to injury. As for Atlanta, the expectation is that Jason Heyward and Martin Prado both bounce back, and that will be the difference in them clinching one of the NL playoff spots. However, with the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals looking to claw their way in to the playoff picture, and the Philadelphia Phillies already considered the World Series favorites, baseball betting fans might not be buying in to the idea that the Braves are a team built for the postseason.

Online Sportsbook Overview

This is already shaping up to be a very entertaining World Series.St. Louismanager Tony LaRussa was in great form in game one as he went through six pitchers to take the win. LaRussa was so spot-on with his managing that his five relief pitchers only gave up a combined one hit in a little more than two innings pitched. LaRussa’s use of pinch hitters and moving his defense around was also a sign that the veteran manager has his head in the game. LaRussa knew when starter Chris Carpenter had enough and knew how to make sure that his team came out of game one with the win.

Texasmanager Ron Washington did an excellent job on the other side of the field as well. Once Washingtonpulled starter C.J. Wilson in the sixth inning after Wilsonhad given up the lead, the Rangers gave up only two hits and no runs the rest of the game. Washingtonput his cost per head players in a position to win the game, but the offense could not come through for the Rangers.Washington made moves and changed up hitters, but he could not get his team to produce the two runs it needed to win.

St. Louis Cardinals

If you run the numbers through any bookie software, you start to realize that the Cardinals can keep doing this throughout the entire series if it wanted to. LaRussa is going through a lot of pitchers, but he is not overworking his staff. One-third of an inning here and two-thirds of an inning there is not going to drain the bullpen. But LaRussa would like to see his starters go deeper into games. Ultimately, the decision to pull Carpenter was LaRussa’s. LaRussa either had a pre-set pitch count in his head or he saw something that caused him to give his ace the hook. Either way, if LaRussa and the Cardinals can keep getting production like this from its bullpen, then this could be a very short series.

Texas Rangers

Baseball fans who bet online have been tracking the Rangers all season long.Texas was the top team in the AL West for most of the season and won the division almost unopposed despite the best efforts of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But it was the Rangers’ offense that won key games and not the pitching. TheTexas pitching staff showed a resilient side that not many people knew it had in game one. But, to win this series, the Rangers need to start scoring runs and stop relying on its bullpen to hold the score down.

The Bottom Line

MLB fans inSt. Louis can almost feel the early excitement of a World Series title. The Texas Rangers have made two valiant runs at a World Series championship, but in both cases the Rangers were just not better than the NL champion. Now that Tony LaRussa knows how to shut down the Rangers’ offense, it is going to be difficult forTexas to win games.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals

Sports Betting Overview

When Matt Holliday and Chris Carpenter went down with injuries before the 2011 MLB season even started, things looked bleak for the Cardinals.St. Louisstruggled through the first part of the season and leaned on superstar Albert Pujols to score runs. When Pujols was injured around the All-Star break, it looked like the Cardinals were never going to catch a break. When September started, the Cardinals trailed the Atlanta Braves by almost 10 games in the NL wild card race. By the time September was over,St. Louiswas in the playoffs and on the verge of eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.

The Texas Rangers knew it had to get back to the World Series to prove two things. Some of the cost per head baseball fans were calling the Rangers’ 2010 AL Championship a fluke. The Rangers wanted to put that notion to rest. The Rangers’ roster also wanted to show that the team could win without renowned pitcher Cliff Lee. When the Rangers picked up Lee at the trade deadline last year, it was Lee who was credited with the Rangers’ playoff run to the World Series. Now the Rangers have proven that last year was not a fluke, and that last year was not a one-man show.

St. Louis Cardinals

There came a point in September when the price per head bookie crowd knew that the Cardinals belonged in the playoffs. Granted, a team does not overcome a 10-game lead in one month unless the team it is chasing fails miserably. But the Cardinals had to win to take advantage of the Braves’ losses, and winning is exactly what the Cardinals did. In game one of the World Series, the Cardinals are at home and it is a 1 ½ run favorite to win. A sportsbook review of the Cardinals’ playoff performance to this point shows a team with tremendous momentum in its favor along with a potent offense and impressive bullpen. Chris Carpenter is completely healthy and has been dominating teams in the playoffs. The Cardinals will be a very difficult team to beat.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have accomplished most of its objectives in this playoff run. It was obvious from the first pitch in its ALDS series with the Tampa Bay Rays that the Rangers were extremely focused on getting back to the World Series. MLB fans saw the Detroit Tigers as the team that would win it all in theAL, especially after the Tigers downed the New York Yankees in the ALDS. But the Rangers proved to be too consistent at the plate and on the mound for the Tigers to handle. ButTexas showed weaknesses in its bullpen and it’s starting pitching that the Cardinals should be able to exploit.

The Bottom Line

Texasfans should be proud of their team, but the Rangers just do not have the sustained offense or steady bullpen it will need to win this series. It does not end at Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter for theSt..Louis Cardinals. There is clutch pitchers and hitters throughout the Cardinals’ line up that will prove to make life miserable for the Texas Rangers.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals in six

Sports Betting Sites Overview

Throughout the entire regular season and on into the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers have been unable to respond to pressure situations on the road. If the Brewers had to have played the entire month of September on the road then it may not have made the playoffs. ButMilwaukeemade a good accounting of itself in game three of the NLCS when it lost 4-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals inSt. Louis. The high run totals in the first two games on this series have caused both teams to have to go to their bullpens regularly. But the Brewers’ bullpen was not used very much in the NLDS series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. That left a fairly refreshed bullpen available to pitch against the Cardinals. That refreshed bullpen did not respond in game two, but it played very well in game three and that could be a good sign for the Brewers.

The price per head bookie action in St. Louis has been frantic since the middle of September. Once it was apparent that the Atlanta Braves were definitely in a free fall and the St. Louis Cardinals would have a shot at the NL wild card berth, the fans in St. Louis started to really pay attention. When the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, the top team in the majors, in its NLDS series then that is when everyone started to take note. The Cardinals have always been known for its offense, but the St. Louis pitching has been consistent so far in the playoffs. With the exception of game one of both the NLDS and NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals have been able to hold leads with its bullpen. But when you put the St. Louis bullpen stats in any bookie software, you come up with a pitching staff that may be tiring.

Milwaukee Brewers

Zack Greinke had a 16-6 record and a 3.83 ERA in the regular season. He is the ace of the Milwaukeestaff and big things were expected from him in these playoffs. But the sportsbook reviews of Greinke’s playoff performance to this point have not been favorable. Greinke has a 1-0 record in the NLCS, but he also has a 9.00 ERA as well. He was the fortunate recipient of some major run support inMilwaukee’s 9-6 win in game one of this series. Greinke is a better pitcher than he has shown so far in the playoffs. When everything is on the line in game five, Greinke will come through for the Milwaukee Brewers.

St. Louis Cardinals

Jaime Garcia is a talented, young pitcher that has no playoff experience prior to this season. Game five of the NLCS will only be Garcia’s third postseason start of his career, and he has not responding well to the pressure. So far, Garcia is 0-2 in the playoffs with a 7.36 ERA. He only has six strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. He is having problems with his control, and it can all be traced back to nerves. The MLB fans inSt. Louis are a little nervous themselves as they see that Garcia is starting the important fifth game of this series. But if he is going to improve as a pitcher, then Garcia needs to start getting involved in pressure situations.

The Bottom Line

The Brewers are not going to go quietly in this series, and the NLCS should not be expected to only go five games. The series will come back toMilwaukeeand the Brewers may even have momentum leading into that sixth game. This fifth game will show a lot about which team is headed closer to a World Series berth. With its bullpen ready to go, that edge may go toMilwaukee.

Pick: Milwaukee Brewers

Online Sportsbook Overview

The worst fears of Milwaukee Brewers’ fans will be confirmed in game five of its NLDS series with Arizona; the Brewers are going to the NLCS. In all fairness, these are only the worst fears of Milwaukee fans if the Phillies beat the Cardinals. If the Phillies beat the Cardinals then the Phillies will have home field advantage over Milwaukee and the Brewers are not going to the World Series. But, if the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Phillies then the Brewers get home field advantage in the NLCS and Milwaukee goes to the World Series. Can it all be that easy for Brewers’ fans to figure out? With the way that the Milwaukee team plays on the road, it is very easy to figure out which games this team is winning and which ones it will be losing.

The Arizona Diamondbacks did not just even the series with its two wins in Arizona, it did so with extreme authority. When you put the numbers through any bookie software, the result always comes out as complete dominance by the Diamondbacks. In the two NLCS games played in Arizona, the Diamondbacks scored a combined 18 runs compared to the seven scored by the Brewers. The Arizona offense was on fire in the desert, and the starting pitching proved to be dominant in game three. The Diamondbacks will try to pull those elements together one more time and advance to the NLCS by beating the Milwaukee Brewers at home.

Arizona Diamondbacks
To say that pitcher Ian Kennedy was off his game in the first game of this series is a price per head services understatement. Kennedy was 8-1 in his last 10 starts of the regular season, but gave up all four of the runs in game one of the NLDS that eventually sunk the Diamondbacks. The back-breaker was the two-run home run by Prince Fielder in the seventh inning. Kennedy is the staff ace in Arizona and a contender for the NL Cy Young award this year. If the Diamondbacks have a pitcher that can win this game, it is Kennedy.

Milwaukee Brewers
So far, the betonline reviews of this series have gone exactly as planned. The Brewers win the home games and lose the games in Arizona. It is almost like the Brewers have a script it has been writing all season long and intend to follow it to the very end. The MLB scores from the two games in Arizona will not affect the outcome of this game at all. Pitcher Yovani Gallardo will have another excellent outing in game five as he did in game one, which was played in Milwaukee, and propel the Brewers to the NLCS.

The Bottom Line
It can seem too easy when a playoff series can be predicted based on where the games are played, but that is how the Brewers’ season has played out. Milwaukee wins the home games and loses the road games. This series has been, and will be, no exception.

Pick: Milwaukee Brewers